Process and device for transfer of textile yarn at high speed

ABSTRACT

An improved process and device for transferring textile yarn at high speeds is provided. The improved process is characterized by the yarn as well as the air injected by the pneumatic nozzle being guided from the output of the nozzle to the subsequent zone of treatment. The improved process is useful for the start-up of textile machines, the conveying of yarn from one floor to another, and the automatic transfer of high speed yarn from one treatment device to another.

Unite States ateni .Euppet 1451 Aug. 15, 1972 PROCESS AND DEVHCE FOR TRANSFER @11 "a i E Y AT HEGH SPEED [72] inventor: Paul .Huppet, 173, Ave. Barthelemy Buyer, 69-Lyon 5, France [22] Filed: July 27, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 58,585

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 7, 1969 France ..6927224 51 11111.0. ..1B65h 17/32 [58] Fieidoisearch ..226/7,97, 196; 28/114 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Modigliani ..226/97 X 3,26,896 1' 1/1966 Kinney ..226/97 3,511,625 5/1970 Pitt ..226/196 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney-Sherman and Shalloway ABSTRACT An improved process and device for transferring textile yam at high speeds is provided. The improved process is characterized by the yarn as well as the air injected by the pneumatic nozzle being guided from the output of the nozzle to the subsequent zone of treatment. The improved process is useful for the start-up of textile machines, the conveying of yarn from one floor to another, and the automatic transfer of high speed yarn from one treatment device to another.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PA'IcmEmums i912 3,684,143

PAUL JUPPET INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR TRANSFER OF TEXTILE YARN AT HIGH SPEED This invention relates to a process and apparatus for transferring textile yarns moving at high speeds. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved process and device for transferring textile yarns at high speeds wherein the yarn as well as the air injected by the pneumatic nozzle are guided from the output of the nozzle to the subsequent zone of treatment.

The process and apparatus of this invention are useful in the textile industry for starting up various apparatus, conveying yarns at high speeds during processes in which there are at least two different stages of operation, and generally for the automatic transfer of a fast-moving yarn from one treating device to another.

Prior art textile yarn transfer devices are not particularly well suited for the transfer of high-speed yarn, either because these devices exert insufficient traction on the yarns or because they are not adapted to be used with a moving suction device commonly called a suction gun. Most prior art devices for transferring textile yarn must be fed by hand. With yarns moving at high rates of speed, this manual handling is obviously not practical. Therefore devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,38 l ,869 have not proved to be practical for use in transferring high speed yarns from one device or floor to another.

Briefly, the improved process of this invention comprises guidirig the yarn as well as the air injected by the pneumatic nozzle from the output of this nozzle to the subsequent treatment zone. In the device for carrying out this process comprising a pneumatic nozzle, the improvement comprises a guide passage which connects the pneumatic nozzle to the second treatment zone.

it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved process for transferring textile yarns at high speeds from one apparatus or floor to another.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved device for carrying out this process.

It is a still further object of this invention toprovide an improved yarn transfer device having. a guide passage connecting the pneumatic nozzle to the second treatment zone.

Still further objects and advantages of the process and apparatus of this invention will become more apparent from the following more detailed description thereof.

The improved process of this invention comprises guiding both the yarn and the air injected by the pneumatic nozzle from the outlet of this nozzle to the subsequent treatment zone. As stated above, prior art processes for transferring yarns from one treatment zone to another had not been able to successfully transfer textile yarns moving at a rapid rate of speed.

The device for transferring the textile yarns moving at high speeds from a first treatment device to a second treatment device comprises in combination a fixed pneumatic nozzle and a guide channel connecting the pneumatic nozzle to the subsequent treating device. More particularly, this device comprises (1) a pneumatic nozzle capable of entraining yarn at high speeds coming from a first treatment zone, and exerting sufficient tension on the yarn to hold it in the path desired;

and (2) a guide passage connecting this pneumatic nozzle to a subsequent treatment zone. The nozzle useful in the device of this invention may be any known type of nozzle capable of imparting the speed and tension to the yarn necessary to hold it in the path desired. The guide passage which connects the pneumatic nozzle to the subsequent treatment zone in its upstream passage represents the distance and direction for transferring the yarn. The cross-section of this upstream portion is selected so as to cause the air and yarn moving inside to have substantially constant, although different, speeds. The cross-section of the downstream portion of the guide passage increases in the direction of advance of the yarn. The end of this guide passage is located near v the second treatment zone.

Also located at the end of the guide passage is a yarn suction orifice, preferably slightly offset from the narrow path followed by the yarn through the downstream portion of the guide passage to the second treatment zone. This yarn suction device is connected in a known manner to an enclosure used as a receptacle for yarn wastes which may be present on the yarn being transferred.

In carrying out the process of this invention, the yarn is introduced into the drive zone of the air injection orifice of the nozzle. Thus, the yarn to be transmitted is immediately subjected to a substantial force and therefore the risk of having a drop in tension during the transfer which might cause a looping on the upstream roll is avoided. Normally, the drive zone of the injection orifice has an opening or slot communicating with the space surrounding the drive zone which allows the transfer of the yarn by means of an air gun or similar device.

All of the air coming from the nozzle passes through the upstream portion of the guide passage at a speed much greater than the speed of the yarn, thereby causing a tractive effect on the yarn. The air is slowed in the diverging downstream portion of the guide passage, although the velocity of the air is still greater than that of the yarn, in order to obtain maximum tractive effect.

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a front view of a spinning station equipped with the device of the present invention, the part of the spinning station located between lines A and B having been turned for the sake of clarity; and FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the device of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, filaments 2 of polyhexamethylene adipamide are extruded through a spinneret l and joined as two yarns 3 on convergent guides 4. Yarns 3 then execute several turns over a delivery assembly composed of delivery roll 5 and roller 6. Yarns 3 are then passed over a drawing assembly composed of drawing roll 7, having the same diameter as roll 5, and a roller 8. This drawing assembly rotates at a speed four times greater than that of the delivery assembly. The yarns thus drawn pass through floor 9 by means of nozzle'lO and guide passage 11 to reach the oiling device 12 as the yarns 3 come from guide passage 11. Yam 3 is subsequently wound on a winding device 13.

Referring to FIG. 2, pneumatic nozzle 10 comprises a nozzle body 14 with two L-shaped slots 15 which open into orifice 16 adapted for the introduction of an air gun of end-suction type. L-shaped slots 15 allow for the avoidance of interference between the aspiration of the air gun and the injection of air from orifices 17. In order for the yarn to be introduced into the L-shaped slots 15, that part of body 14 between the two slots projects forward about four millimeters with reference to the rest of the surface of body 14. The nozzle also comprises two injection orifices 17 for compressed air, which is supplied by tube 18 via chamber 19. Each orifice 17 opens tangentially to the trajectory of the yarn 3 in corresponding groove 20, a distance of six millimeters upstream from the bend in the corresponding L- shaped slot 15. The depth of each groove 20 is constant and slightly greater than the diameter of yarn 3 when it is blown up by air injection so that yarn 3 is driven with maximum efficiency by the high speed air without rubbing against the bottom and sides of the groove, since it remains separated by a thin layer of air travelling at high speed. The width of groove 20 is tapered and increases from upstream to downstream by about 2 percent.

Guide passage 11 is disposed immediately after the body of nozzle 14. The upstream portion of this passage has two cylindrical tubes 30 millimeters in diameter and 1.5 meters long. These tubes are disposed so that each yarn will follow the shortest path. Although this portion of guide path 11 is shown as substantially being straight, these tubes could be in any configuration so as to enable yarn 3 to efficiently pass through any passage no matter how intricate. The downstream portion of guide passage 11 is common to both yarns and is a substantially rectangular section, the width being approximately 30 millimeters and the length increasing from 150 to 200 millimeters. This portion of guide passage 1 1 is called a swallow tail, and is 0.75 meters high.

Upstream of nozzle is located a bevelled waste suction tube 21, which allows for the takeup of the yarn and the elimination of waste in the startup procedure. This waste suction tube 21 is placed as close as possible to the entrance of groove and in contact with nozzle body 14. A similar waste suction tube 22 is also located in a swallow tail near its downstream end.

When it is necessary or desirable to transfer yarn 3 from drawing roll 7 to an oiling device, or for that matter, from any textile apparatus to any other textile apparatus, the yarns are drawn into orifice 16 by means of an air duct which places them simultaneously against pins 23 near the top of L-shaped slots l5. At this same moment, compressed air is supplied to the nozzle and the yarn is cut by means of a cutting device which is included in the air gun. Compressed air from injection orifices l7 drives the yarns through grooves 20 and into the upstream portion of the guide passage. At this point, the yarns are under a constant tractive force.

When the ends of the yarn reach the divergent downstream portion of the guide tube, they are automatically trapped by the orifice of aspiration device 22, since the yarns are not yet connected to any downstream drive element they move through the downstream portion of the guide passage without tension. Each yarn is then taken from the divergent portion of the guide passage by a suction device, such as a gun, and placed in a conventional manner on oiling device 12 and then on corresponding winding devices 13. The front face of guide passage 11 may also have a depression 24, which promotes the engagement of the During normal operation, winding device 13 exhibits a slight tension on the yarns as they pass through the guide passage 11. This slight tension moves the normal path of the yarns 3 away from aspiration device 22 and consequently avoids re-engagement of the yarns by this device. However, in the case ofa break in the winding, one or both of the yarns will resume the sinuous path 'in the swallow tail and will be automatically sucked up by suction device 22.

The apparatus of this invention allows the transfer of two 168 decitex 30-strand yarns moving at 3,500 meters per minute with a tension of 20 grams between the draw roll and nozzle. The apparatus of this invention normally requires 40 normal cubic meters per hour of air delivered at a pressure of 500,000 pascals, which is 20 normal cubic meters per hour per orifice, hence per yarn transferred.

In the above example, the transfer device of this invention was described using an air gun with end suction. It is obvious that the transfer device of this inven tion may be used in association with any type of air gun with certain slight modifications of the design of the nozzle. Also, although the device of this invention was described in the above example as a device for transferring two yarns, it is clear that this device may also be modified to transfer one, or more than two, yarns without exceeding the scope of the invention. Furthermore, this device may be used'to transfer any synthetic yarn, such as viscose, cellulose, acetate, triacetate, polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins, polyacrylonitriles, vinyl polymers, fiber glass, etc.

This device also has other applications than that described in the above example, namely, passage of yarns from one side to the other of the textile machine,

passage through vertical walls, guiding one or more yarns by long and complicated paths, etc.

Having fully described the process and apparatus of this invention, whatl claim is:

1. In a device for the transfer of textile yarns moving at high speeds from a first treatment device to a second treatment device comprising a fixed pneumatic nozzle, the improvement which comprises a guide passage connecting said pneumatic nozzle to said second treatment device, a first suction device located near the entrance of said nozzle and a second suction device located near the outlet of said guide passage.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said openings of the suction devices are slightly offset from the normal path of the yarn.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said pneumatic nozzle comprises at least one orifice for injecting compressed air tangentially into the drive groove of the yarn.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said pneumatic nozzle further includes an orifice intended for the introduction of an air gun, said orifice being connected to said yarn drive groove by an L-shaped slot.

5. The device of claim 3, for the transfer of two separate yarns, wherein said pneumatic nozzle comprises two grooves and said guide passage comprises two cylindrical tubes located immediately downstream from said pneumatic nozzle, said cylindrical tubes having a divergent downstream portion. 

1. In a device for the transfer of textile yarns moving at high speeds from a first treatment device to a second treatment device comprising a fixed pneumatic nozzle, the improvement which comprises a guide passage connecting said pneumatic nozzle to said second treatment device, a first suction device located near the entrance of said nozzle and a second suction device located near the outlet of said guide passage.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said openings of the suction devices are slightly offset from the normal path of the yarn.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein said pneumatic nozzle comprises at least one orifice for injecting compressed air tangentially into the drive groove of the yarn.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein said pneumatic nozzle further includes an orifice intended for the introduction of an air gun, said orifice being connected to said yarn drive groove by an L-shaped slot.
 5. The device of claim 3, for the transfer of two separate yarns, wherein said pneumatic nozzle comprises two grooves and said guide passage comprises two cylindrical tubes located immediately downstream from said pneumatic nozzle, said cylindrical tubes having a divergent downstream portion. 